


Courage Equals Truth

by teamfreetitan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Firewhiskey, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Love Confessions, M/M, Marauders' Era, Mutual Pining, Pining, Truth or Dare, Veritaserum, just a little don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 15:32:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11947224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamfreetitan/pseuds/teamfreetitan
Summary: Sirius has a bottle of Firewhiskey, and they decide to drink and play truth or dare. Only too late do they realize it's mixed with Veritaserum.





	Courage Equals Truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Silverofyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverofyou/gifts).



> Written for Jane's birthday! Posted a tad late, so I am so so sorry for that. Still, I hope you enjoy. I LOVE YOU!

Most of the students were studying. Undeniably, the Ravenclaws were all hunkered over books, glasses pushed up their noses and quills in hands. The ambitious Slytherins and hard working Hufflepuffs likewise needed to study. Even the older Gryffindors were all studying, pouring over spell books. They had tests, coming up, after all, since it was almost the end of the school year. It was late in the evening, but many were awake regardless. That included a certain group of Gryffindor sixth years, tucked away in their dorm, laughing and hooting and hollering.

Sirius and Remus sat on Sirius' bed, facing Peter's bed, on which sat Peter and James. The four were talking, Sirius leaning with his elbows on his knees and listening to Peter and James tell the story of some girl from Potions who came in, absolutely hungover on Firewhiskey. "Too many shots," James said. "I heard the stuff burns your throat, like you're a dragon." 

"Want to find out?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. This drew some weird looks, elicited from the faces of his friends. The dark haired teen reached under his bed, pulling out an orange glass bottle, filled with a smokey orange liquid.

"Where'd you get that?" James asked, thee question everyone was thinking. It was more out of curiosity than concern. While Remus looked weary and Peter looked like a kid on their first day of school, James was enticed. 

Sirius tilted his head dramatically, deepening his voice and saying, "If I told you, I would have to kill you."

James rolled his eyes. "Is it the real deal?" Peter asked.

"I'm shocked that you would consider the finest of such brews insincere, Wormtail. Of course! The person - or thing, or place, whatever - I got it from said it has a 'zing' to it, you know? So who wants to go first? Remus," Sirius said, drawling out the syllables. He leaned his head on the other's shoulder. "You've been pretty quiet. Want to take that first sip, that  _zing_?"

Albeit hesitantly, Remus finally gave in, saying, "Sure, why not?" It was the weirdest thing about Remus, honestly. He was dangerously smart, which typically meant great grades and studying, but he spent most of that wit on backing up the logisitics of their schemes. He was weary, and maybe in another group, a goody two shoes, but here, his hesitancy had saved their asses a couple times (not because they didn't go through with it, but because he helped them avoid getting caught). He wore big sweaters and loved tea, but was tough and scarred. Remus was a combination of so many chill, easy going, good traits, but for lack of a better term, he used his powers for evil. And let's just say there was a reason the kid was sorted in Gryffindor. He had guts.

Sirius unscrewed the lid of the Firewhiskey bottle, grey smoke wafting through the air as it escaped. He poured a shot worth into the metal lid and held it to Remus, who took it and downed it in one go, no stopping to inspect or smell or back out.

When the liquid was in his stomach, he opened his mouth. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and his mouth nearly steaming. "Woah," he said. "That was... intense. Really hot. I feel like my fingers are buzzing, but that doesn't make sense because I just took one shot of alcohol and there's no reason it should be getting me tipsy that fast. But... good?" 

"We know you're not tipsy because your mind is still going a kilometer a minute. Here, pass me that. Sirius, hit me," James had taken the lid, and Sirius began pouring the orange drink once again. James threw his head back and drank. 

The group passed it around a couple times, until they all had had three shots worth. The bottle was half empty, and when Peter commented that might be good enough for tonight, Sirius screwed the metal lid on and slid it under his bed again. "Hey, Sirius," James said, as if his voice should be slurred but he was too awake for it to be. "Sirius, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Sirius said. 

"What happened to being all brave because you're Gryffindor?" James teased. Sirius rarely chose truth.

"Courage equals truth, don't you think?" 

He said it, and the words were so confident, but he still looked confused. 

"Alright, hot shot. Then be brave. Did you  _really_ make out with that seventh year Hufflepuff in the Quidditch broom closet?" James asked, eyebrows raising. 

"Of course  _not_." The words burst out, and Sirius now looked really confused. "I didn't want to say that! I have no idea why I said that because obviously I didn't. Wait..."

Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs exchanged weird looks, and James was on the brink of dying of laughter. Peter was giggling softly. Sirius appeared at a loss for words, unable to tell what had just happened, because that rumor had been going around since last year and was picking up quite some traction. Listen, Sirius and her both knew it was a fake rumor - not even started by either party - but they kept it going for the gag and honestly, it made Sirius look cooler to some of students. A group of Hufflepuffs were giving him eyes the other day. Anyway, it was not on the agenda for anyone to find out it was fake.

"Hold on, Sirius, try to tell me your name is Wilby Honker," Remus demanded.

James and Peter broke out into another fit of laughter, but Sirius trusted him, saying with confidence, "My name is Sirius Black. That's not what I wanted to say!"

"I think..." Remus started. "I think whoever you got this Firewhiskey from spiked it with veritaserum before you got it. They must have. That's why you can't lie."

"But why?" Peter asked.

"Shits and giggles?" James guessed. "Anyway, it's too late to back out now, so we may as well have some fun with it. Say, Peter, do you like that Ravenclaw girl, what's her name, Darcy Something-or-other?"

His face turned as red as the comforter he sat on. "Yes."

James turned to Remus and prompted, "And what about you, Remus?"

"Does it matter?" Remus asked.

"Of course it matters. We're friends! You're the only one who we don't know about who they like. Even if you're embarrassed, you can trust us. We would never turn on each other. It's not like I'm going to go tell her that you like her or something like that. Gotta be classy, yeah? So, who do you like?"

Remus' lip was threatening to open, to tell, so he bit down on it hard to prevent himself from speaking. Still, the potion mixed in kept him from achieving secrecy, and finally, humiliatingly, he blurted out, "Sirius! I like Sirius!" 

Eyes turned to him to see a red face quickly being covered by fingers. "I'm going to bed," he said quietly. "If I don't get some sleep my hangover's just going to be worse in the morning." He stood slowly, walking over to his bed. He pulled the red curtain around his bunk. The only sound in the room was his socked feet on the floor and the whoosh of the curtain closing. No one said a word. Sirius looked between the two of his friends remaining, but they were equally as speechless. 

"Yeah, I guess we should go to bed," Peter said after a minute, his response late to the already concluded conversation.

* * *

By the time Sirius woke up, Remus was already gone. He wasn't at breakfast, and they didn't talk before Herbology, where they usually goofed around in the greenhouses before class started. Instead, Remus stood in the corner, nose in a book, looking undeniably uncomfortable. It was clear that he didn't want to be bothered. Even when they partnered up, he went with a random person Sirius didn't even know. 

It was strange to think about, causing him half a heart attack. Remus... fancied him? Impossible, but you can't lie on veritaserum. Still, he found it hard to fathom. The longer he thought about it, the more sense it made, though. Remus was more touchy-feely to Sirius than the other guys, and Sirius had always been fine with it, even doing it back. They would lean on each other or fling themselves on each other and sometimes, Sirius would even throw his legs over Remus' when they sat on couches. Furthermore, he had always been there for Remus. In the bad times near the full moon, Remus came to Sirius for support. Key word being came, because Remus didn't like to push his problems, especially this one, on others. Trusting Sirius, it was a notable thing. Plus, Remus never showed interest in anyone, ever. Sirius just assumed that Remus wasn't a super romantic person. But in retrospect, he should have connected the dots long ago.

It was too late now, though, for Sirius to say, yeah, I let that rumor about me and that Hufflepuff slide because it was funny and cool and surprising and dramatic, not because we actually had a thing or because I liked her. It was too late to say, yeah, I've never actually fancied a girl. It was too late to say these things because Remus was across the room, jotting down notes about leaves, instead of passing notes with Sirius. 

But Sirius, Sirius was a go getter, and he absolutely refused to let their friendship be ruined by this, something so petty. 

He wiggled his way through the students, ditching his partner he said two words to, and stood next to Remus. His quill glided across the page as he wrote, "Wanna go to the lake at lunch?" in the corner of his page.

Tapping a finger on the other's shoulder, SIrius demanded attention. Remus read it, biting his lip as if he would confess more things he didn't want to, but made no other response. 

"I'm sorry," Sirius added. He didn't know what he was sorry for, but he was. Again, upon an attention getting finger poke, Remus made no acknowledgement. 

Finally, he wrote, "Please." Remus looked up at the teacher, who was facing away from them, showing a student an example of a part of a leaf. Quickly, Remus leaned over and wrote, "Okay."

They were dismissed fifteen minutes later and he and Sirius half dragged Remus to the lunch room. Remus started to sit down and grab a plate, but Sirius stopped him by saying, "We're going to the lake, remember?" He enchanted some food to fly, like a basket of rolls and some drinks and a small plate of brownies. Peter and James would be upset the two were ditching them, but that was not the concern on Sirius' mind. 

As they ate, they spoke normally. Their days, funny things that happened, cracking jokes, as if nothing was different. And in a way, nothing was. That didn't get rid of the elephant in the room, though, unspoken but known. Remus seemed aloof and out of place, confused as to why exactly they were here, talking, instead of having rejected Remus from the group. He always had a feeling he would inevitably be the one to break away - or be kicked from - their little group first, but he always thought it would be because he was a werewolf, not because he fancied boys and girls equally. 

The two finished up, and Remus had a brownie crumb on the side of his mouth. "Hey, Remus," Sirius said, causing him to look away from the lake and at him. Quickly, before his Gryffindor bravery could fail him, he moved his hand up and wiped it away with his thumb. The other's eyes widened, but quickly, Sirius leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was fast and chaste and simple, but it was a lot of things.

As Sirius pulled away, their eyes met. 

"Chocolate is pretty good, huh?" 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Comments, kudos, etc., are always appreciated and thanks to everyone who does! Also, if you notice any grammar mistakes or spelling errors, point those out, too.


End file.
